by Kim McMahill
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
By late afternoon they had left the sheep behind at the new meadow and had reached the place where they would reestablish camp. There was a pronounced rock overhang next to the hill, creating a shallow cave. They nestled the tent into the opening. The tent would be cold since the structure was shaded from the sun, but the canvas would be virtually invisible from above and the trees were close enough that a person would have to be very near to even spy it from the ground.
Off to the side and well-hidden in the trees, they constructed three small randomly spaced lean-tos for Frank, Joe, and Deuce, hoping the placement would make it more difficult for anyone to sneak up on the camp. Frank and Joe had their bedrolls, Sarah used Bernie’s spare sleeping bag and Niki had converted hers so the girls could sleep toe-to-toe in the bag on her cot.
Deuce had left the ranch with nothing except for the coat tied behind his saddle from an earlier ride. Niki used every spare blanket, towel and tarp she could to rig something for her and Deuce. She wasn’t too worried about herself since she would have the additional protection of the tent and four bodies for heat, but she feared Deuce would be less warm in his one-person lean-to.
Once satisfied she could do nothing else to make everyone as comfortable as possible, Niki scanned the camp and all seemed in order. She looked up and waved to Sarah and the girls who sat on the ridge above. Sarah held a shotgun across her lap and binoculars to her eyes, scanning the area below. She looked tired and worried, but Niki had no doubt she would hold up fine, doing whatever it took to protect her daughters.
April and Lacy sat next to their mother, huddled together, admiring the glossy pictures in the magazines Niki had loaned them. The girls’ attitudes never ceased to amaze her. If they were frightened they didn’t show it. They did whatever was asked without question and made the best of a situation that had to be confusing and scary.
Deuce had assigned the Stephens’ family the first look-out shift, since it would be warmer during the afternoon than once the sun set. He and Frank would split the nights, and generally Niki, Joe and Sarah would divide up the remaining hours of the days. As soon as Deuce could rig a chair for Bernie, the old man would take a few hours in the middle of the afternoon as well.
By the time Niki’s turn as look-out arrived, the new camp was set, the sheep were settled and the rest of the stock had been fed, watered and picketed or hobbled far enough away to provide an additional layer of notification if anyone or anything approached the campsite. Niki peeked into the tent and went to her grandfather’s side. His color looked paler than earlier that morning and his breathing seemed labored, but he slept and there was nothing she could do for him, so she grabbed her jacket and headed for the ridge.
Niki stopped when she met the girls on her way up the hill to relieve Sarah. Their innocent smiles and enthusiasm warmed her heart and made her all the more determined to survive their current situation. She hoped Cal was still safe and the family would soon be reunited.
“Niki, when Dad gets home I wanna go on a cruise. I thought they were just for grown-ups, but there’s a story in your magazine about Disney World Cruises for whole families,” April informed her.
“Oh really? And what did your mom have to say about that?”
“She said to tell you thanks a lot for the magazine and let you know you’re coming with us.”
Niki smiled as she rested her rifle against a tree and knelt down to be eye-level with the girls. She reached out, and with an arm around each child, pulled Lacy and April to her and hugged them tightly.
“I’m honored you would want me on your family vacation and I would love to go,” she said as she placed a quick kiss on each girl’s cheek.
“Deuce has to come too,” Lacy added.
“Sweetheart, if anyone can convince Deuce to go to Disney World, it’s you.”
“Come on April, let’s go tell Deuce we’re going on a Disney Cruise.”
Niki watched the girls dart down the hill in search of Deuce and had to laugh. Normally, she would imagine Cal wouldn’t appreciate finding out, thanks to her, that his young daughters not only had their hearts set on going on a cruise vacation, but they wanted to take the single neighbor man and the lady who comes to visit once or twice a year. But, under the circumstances, she thought it was a wonderfully pleasant distraction and only hoped they would live to deal with the possibility. She also believed if Cal could be reunited with his family, he would be so relieved and thrilled that he might actually consider it.
“Sorry about that,” Niki said as she gave Sarah a hand and helped her to her feet.
“No problem. The travel magazines have been a great way to keep happy thoughts in the girls’ heads. I’m not sure how excited Cal will be when he finds out they have their sights set on a major trip.”
“He’ll be really thrilled when he finds out they’ve invited me and they’re on their way to convince Deuce he has to go as well.”
Sarah laughed. “Deuce posing with Goofy on the ship or on the tea cup ride with Lacy¾now those are attractions I’d pay money to see. I’d better go rescue him before April and Lacy have a signed commitment. They’re nothing if not persistent.”
Niki sat with her back against the rocks they had stacked to make a backrest. It wasn’t terribly comfortable, but she was more than happy to take her watch on the ridge and leave the meal preparation to Sarah. Since the group had grown from just her and her grandfather to eight, Niki quickly realized the task was now beyond her meager ability. She seldom cooked for herself back in Denver and Bernie was grateful for any food he didn’t have to make himself, good or bad.
Her first lookout shift would be fairly short. After dinner Deuce would relieve her and she would try to get some much needed rest. In the meantime, she enjoyed the solitude of the ridge and the expansive views the elevation provided. She only wished she was here to sketch, not to watch for heavily armed soldiers, who by now would probably relish nothing more than to torture or kill her and her determined group of companions.
Niki scanned the area below with the binoculars. The high country was still relatively green and the view was spectacular. The sheep and dogs were too far away to see since their pasture rested at the base of a hollow, but she had a good view of camp and the rounded slope of the hill separating their temporary home from the sheep meadow.
Behind her the dramatic mountains rose higher and she could see the tops had already received a dusting of early fall snow. Below, dense stands of pine were randomly broken up by small grassy meadows, groves of aspen or snaking streams. As she watched the closest stream a bear ambled to the bank and drank. She had thought the spot would be perfect for a quick fishing trip, but now had doubts.
When Niki had first started coming to the Big Horns no grizzly bears roamed the mountains, but lately rumors of their presence had grown to near mythic proportions. She hadn’t believed any of the stories until now. She wasn’t an expert, but the bear by the creek definitely looked like a grizzly. The large bear was magnificent, but she couldn’t help but be nervous about its proximity to their camp and the sheep. She was respectful of the mountain predators and after what she had tangled with so far, a bear seemed like only a moderate threat to their continued survival and no longer the top predator in the high country.
A dull hum drew her attention away from her scrutiny of the bear’s dished profile, short rounded ears, pronounced shoulder hump and silver-tipped coat. She raised the binoculars to the sky and searched. As the sound grew more distinct she spotted the culprit. The helicopter was too far away to see if it had the maple leaf emblazoned on its side, but she doubted any other would be flying in the area unless help had finally arrived, and she didn’t even dare fantasize about that possibility.
Niki flattened herself on the ground, oblivious to the twigs and pebbles digging into her belly. Using her elbows to steady herself, she watched the helicopter. Careful not to let the sun glint off the binoculars’ lenses, she studied the flight and
her nerves pulsed. She was so focused on the movements of the helicopter that she barely acknowledged Deuce as he slid up next to her, hips touching. She lowered the binoculars and turned to look at him, a worried expression on her face.
“What’d you see?” he asked.
“It landed.”
“Where?”
“It’s hard to tell from here, but it looked as if it set down about where Papa’s camp was the day you rode with me to meet him. The sheep meadow there would make a convenient landing pad, the area is grazed down and relatively flat.”
He returned her worried look and accepted the binoculars from her outstretched hand. Deuce watched the area in which she thought the craft had landed. After fifteen minutes he saw it rise above the trees and fly in the direction of the ranch.
“Do you think they’re coming for us?” Niki asked.
“Why else would they be messing around up here?”
“If the helicopter dropped off men, how long would it take them to reach us on foot?”
“Well, it took you and Bernie a half day to reach your new camp and it took us another half day to reach this one. So, I’d say fit soldiers could realistically reach us in a fairly short day. Since they don’t know exactly where we’re camped it might slow them down a little bit, but not much. We’ll be easy to track since we’re traveling with a thousand sheep, not to mention horses, mules and dogs. That many animals will leave a trail a blind man could follow.”
“It’s late in the day, so surely they’ll stay put for the night.”
“I hope so. We need time to decide if we should keep running or stand our ground and fight.”
Niki didn’t like the sound of either option. She had no doubt the soldiers were much better armed, well trained and physically fit. Deuce knew the mountains like his own back yard, but with children and her grandfather’s injury how could they outrun the soldiers, even if they left the sheep behind?
“Niki, come quick. Bernie is real sick,” April cried, gasping for breath.
“What happened?”
“When Mom went to check on him, he was thrashing around, trying to get out of his sleeping bag. His face is all red and sweaty and Mom said he feels real hot. He seems confused and his words aren’t making any sense. She’s afraid if he doesn’t calm down, he might hurt himself.”
Niki handed Deuce the rifle and leapt to her feet.
“Hey, check out the grizzly by the creek,” Niki called to Deuce over her shoulder as she followed the young girl off the hill.
“Only rumors, Niki. I’m sure it’s just a big black bear.”
“Just look,” she demanded as she ran as fast as she could down the steep slope in her slick-soled cowboy boots.
When Niki approached the tent, she could hear her grandfather moaning. She pulled the flap back and saw Sarah holding a damp cloth to his forehead. Niki couldn’t understand any of his mumbled words and the twisted expression of agony on his red face made Niki fear for his life.
“I looked in on him when I first returned from the ridge and he seemed more tired than usual, but other than that I didn’t notice anything wrong. Now he’s burning up. He was delirious, but we got some fluids in him and the cold compresses have seemed to cool him off a bit and calm him down, though he’s still incoherent,” Sarah reported, handing Niki the wet rag and offering her the log to sit on next to the cot.
“I’m here now, Papa,” Niki said as she replaced the compress on his head with a new cold one. “It’s going to be okay, just rest. You have a little fever, but I know that won’t slow a tough guy like you down.”
Niki retrieved the last two Ibuprofens she had in her possession in hopes of reducing the fever. Staring at the empty bottle filled her mind with dread and hopelessness. She forced him to swallow the pills and drink more water. She placed another cold compress on his head and took his frail hand in hers and began talking softly to him about some of their fondest shared memories.
The more Niki talked to her grandfather, the more he seemed to relax and soon he began to sleep more peacefully. His skin was still hot to the touch, but she was hesitant to keep changing the compresses for fear of waking him. Instead, she continued to hold his hand, offering silent comfort. She watched him breathe until she was certain the worst was over.
When Niki finally emerged from the tent, she noticed Deuce had returned and Frank was gone. A feeling of relief rushed over her as she stared at his tall strong frame. She wanted to throw herself in his arms and cry, a feeling that had overtaken her a lot as of late. The fear for her grandfather and exhaustion made her weak, but Niki refused to let Deuce see her crumble.
“How is he?”
“He’s resting now, but one of his injuries must have gotten infected. He has a dangerously high fever and I have nothing left to give him to fight it with.”
Their eyes met and she could see the concern and worry in his expression. He ran his fingers through his thick dark hair in a gesture of frustration.
“I take it that moving on again in the morning is probably out of the question?”
Niki nodded. “I think he recognized my voice because he calmed down and quit thrashing around when I spoke to him, but I doubt he even knows where he is. I hope we didn’t make matters worse by trying to get him up yesterday. He seemed like he was really improving, but now he’s taken a serious turn for the worse.”
“Well, I guess we stay here and hope like hell they don’t come after us,” Deuce whispered so the girls wouldn’t hear.
Niki sighed. Despite the risk of staying put, they had no choice. But, even if her grandfather hadn’t relapsed, she wondered how long they could keep running anyway. She was exhausted and she had seen the same weariness in Sarah’s features. The children were tough for their age, but so young, and Joe and her grandfather were in no shape to outrun professional soldiers indefinitely.
“By the way, you were right. That was definitely a grizzly. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it. People have been claiming for years that the bears had made it here from Yellowstone, but I thought they were all full of crap.”
A distant rumble of thunder drew Niki’s eyes skyward. She swallowed hard and then ducked back inside the tent. She couldn’t let the noise or having a grizzly nearby distract her. At the moment, she had much more to fear than the weather or a wild animal. With the soldiers on the move, her grandfather’s health deteriorating and winter approaching, Niki couldn’t help but feel they were on the brink of losing the battle to survive.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Dinner was a silent affair. After the food was gone everyone went about the evening chores with little enthusiasm. Bernie quickly fell asleep again, Frank was still at his post on the ridge as the lookout, Joe headed out to check on the sheep for the last time of the evening and Sarah and the girls cleaned up camp.
“I’ll take Frank some dinner and let him know that we’re digging in and fighting if we have to,” Deuce said with weary resignation.
Niki nodded and slowly struggled to her feet. It had been a tiring day between the long trek to the new camp, the stress of hearing the helicopter, and then seeing her grandfather’s health take such a drastic step backwards, but there was still more to do before they could turn in for the night.
“I’ll go check the horses and mules and see if they have enough water to last until morning. I would really rather wait until daylight to go to the creek after seeing that bear,” Niki said.
“If they need water, wait until I get back and I’ll help,” Deuce stated.
Niki nodded. She was finding it increasingly difficult to keep a positive attitude, but tried to put on a happy face and look confident in front of Lacy and April. The girls had held up remarkable well, but she didn’t know if they could continue to be so resilient if any of the adults collapsed under the pressure. As difficult as it was for Niki to stay strong, she knew it had to be even worse for Sarah. The woman had to be terrified for her husband, knowing he was so fa
r away and in the thick of the worst fighting, but she couldn’t let any of her fears show in front of her young daughters.
Niki looked in each bucket and was thankful to see all still held enough water to last the stock until morning. She gave each animal a quick inspection and saw no injuries and all hobbles and picket lines were secure.
“Hey, boy, how are you holding up?” she said and she ran her hand down Storm’s neck.
The horse shook his head up and down several times before moving his nose toward her pocket.
“Sorry. I’m fresh out of carrots, but I promise if we ever get back to the ranch I’ll buy you a whole bushel.” Niki wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck.
Storm reared back when the shot exploded through the quiet night, pulling Niki off her feet. She let go and dropped to the ground. She stood still for a moment, trying to determine where the noise had come from. It sounded too far away to be from the ridge or from camp, but when frantic barking and the sounds of a thousand terrified sheep reached Niki’s ears, she knew.
“Joe!” she screamed as she searched for Storm’s lead rope.
Niki clipped the lead rope to the ring under the chin of his halter and tied the loose end to the same ring, making a crude rein. She quickly removed Storm’s hobbles, led him to a downed log, boosted herself up to his bareback and grabbed his mane. She clicked her tongue and gave Storm a gentle kick. The horse took off at a smooth run, leaving camp quickly behind.
The days were still long and the sun hadn’t quite set, giving Niki plenty of light as she rode toward the chaotic noise. The normally fifteen minute ride took her less than ten. She crested the hill and didn’t slow as Joe’s old horse bolted past her on its way back to camp. The sheep were running in every direction and Gracie and Stella were barking wildly, hair standing up on their backs, holding their ground between a prone Joe and an angry three-hundred pound grizzly.
